'Chances of survival would be very slim'

SA Police Superintendent Paul Bahr said he understood bystanders had assisted by stopping others from jumping into the water, and said he would discourage anybody from jumping into dangerous waters, no matter the circumstances.

"Unless you are an extremely powerful swimmer, you are going to have trouble in this sort of water," he said.

"There are very strong currents, very strong swells, very strong waves, your chances of survival in the water here would be very slim.

"Your best response is to stay on shore, observe and try and get something to the person that will assist them to float."

He said the area was well-known for its dangerous waters and the incident had left him with a "hollow feeling".

"This is a very treacherous piece of coast, it's open directly to the Southern Ocean, even though you may have a very benign, nice day on land, the Southern Ocean does have a quite deadly swell," he said.

"Freak waves are not uncommon and it really serves as a warning to everyone who ventures down to this part of the coast, beware and stay away from the water."

Warning not to repeat mistake

Glenn Theakstone, the co-owner of Whaler's Way Sanctuary, said "no photo is worth your life".

"Unfortunately, I think that's what's happened here," he said.

"They've gone to take a selfie with the white spray behind them and it's washed them off the rocks."